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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29912832">Firewall</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ginger_Ninja_405/pseuds/Ginger_Ninja_405'>Ginger_Ninja_405</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Purge (Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adult Language, Canon Divergence, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Happy Ending, Mild Angst, Mutual Pining, Romance, Sexual Tension, post-Anarchy film, rating will be updated to explicit for chapter 2, tags will be updated as needed for chapter 2, why is there literally only one other person on A03 that has dared to write a leo/ofc fic?</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 20:02:46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,594</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29912832</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ginger_Ninja_405/pseuds/Ginger_Ninja_405</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Purge night is upon us again, and after an incident and some unfounded accusations cause Leo's lovely younger neighbor to lose her security for the violent holiday, he invites her to his own private hideaway, and unspoken emotions finally rise to the surface.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Leo Barnes/Original Character, Leo Barnes/Original Female Character, Leo Barnes/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Firewall</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello, this is obviously my first Leo fic (he doesn't exactly seem to be popular on A03 to begin with, to which I ask...but how??). This is very much...self-indulgent, fantasy and wish fulfillment, but I'm still pretty satisfied with it, and I hope some other people will enjoy it as well. This takes place at least a few years after the Anarchy storyline and diverges from Election Year.</p><p>In case it isn't clear withing the story, current timeline in standard text, flashback/previous events in italicized text.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p><p>*********************************************</p><p>
  <em>Whenever you think of me</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Whenever you call on me</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Whatever you need</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Baby, I will be there</em>
  <br/>
  <em>I will not let you drown</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Undertow, Pull you down</em>
  <br/>
  <em>I'll push it away</em>
</p><p>*********************************************</p><p>“Hey, did you, uh...lock yourself out?” Leo asked as he walked up the driveway of his small house, having caught sight of his neighbor as soon as he'd turned the corner of their street. She shook her head, a self-deprecating smile on her face as she watched him approach. Cardboard boxes took up most of the cement surface of her sad excuse for a porch, with the young woman situated on the steps in front of them. “You're not...moving, are you?” Leo's attempt to sound casual wasn't as successful as he'd hoped.</p><p>Helena finally lifted her head to look up at him, and Leo was relieved to find that she seemed just as she had when he'd seen her last. Unharmed. His words, filled with provocation, had tasted delicious leaving his mouth when he'd antagonized her jealous boyfriend days before, but as soon as he'd stepped back inside his own home that evening, doubt and regret had taken hold.</p><p>“We broke up...” Helena uttered, indicating the boxes around her as she spoke, “He's moving out. This is the last truckload of his stuff.”</p><p>Leo nodded as he leaned his body against a supporting beam, mumbling an “I'm sorry,” an absolute lie. He watched her diligently as she reached her arms up and behind herself in a stretch, that same half-hearted smile on her face.</p><p>“I'm not,” she finally answered, Leo's brows raising up in silent response. “He thinks I cheated on him...which, I didn't. But...it feels like he's projecting.”</p><p>“So you think he cheated on you,” Leo inquired as he watched her.</p><p>“Maybe,” she shrugged.</p><p>“You don't seem to broken up about it,” he acknowledged.</p><p>“To be honest...I think the relationship really ended months ago,” she paused as she stared up into Leo's hazel eyes, trained on her deep green ones as he took in her words. “Maybe I became a little disillusioned about us...him and I,” she corrected herself, Leo nodding in comprehension. “Can't really say I'm sorry to see him go, I just...I feel kind of stranded now. I don't know what the fuck I'm gonna do.”</p><p>Leo was hesitant to ask what she meant. If she was low on funds, she's have to move, and he certainly didn't want that. With a deep breath, and a glance up and down the street to confirm her ex's truck wasn't rolling their way, he asked aloud, “What you're gonna do about what?”</p><p>“Purge Night,” she declared, her hands rising to cup her face as she took in a deep breath.</p><p>Leo was silent for a few seconds as he watched her apprehensively. “You weren't planning to...purge, were you?”</p><p>“Leo, how long have we known each other? Do you really think I would...We were supposed to stay over at his parent's house, they have a really high-quality security system, and that's...definitely not an option now...Fuck,” she mumbled as the sound of her ex's truck reached her ears, and they both looked up to see the vehicle turn onto the street.</p><p>“Hey, Helena, I...I've got a place, a secure place, underground...literally,” Leo mentioned quickly as his neighbor rose to her feet, and started to navigate between the boxes toward the front door. She turned to him, relief washing over her features. “It's about an hour outside of the city. I was gonna wait out the night there on my own...you're welcome to join me.” He couldn't help the smile that tugged at the corners of his lips as she nodded without hesitation, reaching for her doorknob. “Uh...can I ask...who you were supposedly cheating on him with?,” Leo added quickly as the truck rolled closer.</p><p>A half smile crossed her face as Helena paused, staring back at him as the truck came to a stop at the edge of her yard, “Yeah, um...apparently I was sleeping with you.”</p><p>* * *</p><p>“<em>What?!” Leo bellowed as he reached the front door, the relentless slamming of a fist against the panel of solid wood stirring him out of his sleep. He let out an exasperated sigh as he looked through the peephole and found his charming neighbor's less charming boyfriend standing on his front stoop. “What?” he demanded again as he opened the door and stepped outside to prevent the younger man from trudging into his home. </em></p><p>“<em>I know what you to two have been doing,” came an accusatory growl, and Leo's brows knitted together in confusion as he closed the door behind him and leaned back against it, arms crossed just below his chest. </em></p><p>“<em>Me and who?” he inquired, his voice far calmer than his accuser. </em></p><p>“<em>You and Helena! I know you've been...” he huffed as he dragged his hands through his hair, “I know you're sleeping with her.”</em></p><p>
  <em>Dark brows raised in surprise, but Leo couldn't stop the smirk that formed on his lips. “Really?” was his only response, which only served to antagonize the younger man further. </em>
</p><p>“<em>Yeah, really. I know you two have been sneaking around behind my back, she's over here all the time, we haven't had sex in months, I know you're...” he paused as he noticed the growing smirk on Leo's face. “You bast-”</em></p><p>
  <em>Leo had the jealous young man's fist grasped in his own before it could connect with his face, “So what if I am, you pathetic little shit. If she's not getting what she needs from you, who am I to deny her? And what the fuck are you gonna do about it?” It was all a complete lie, of course. Much as he would love for it to be true, as ridiculously attracted as he was to the young woman, he wasn't the type of man to get involved with a woman who was already involved with someone else. And it wasn't as if he had flat-out said that they were having an affair...though he hadn't exactly denied it either. Leo released the man's hand as he jerked it away, the sudden loss of stability causing him to stumble back, landing on his tailbone on the solid cement beneath him. He grumbled a few profanities as he rose to his feet, beginning to take steps toward the accused again. “Go home, kid,” Leo practically growled, “You're embarrassing yourself.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The younger man stalled in his steps, anger still contorting his features, the reality of how unevenly matched he was against the older man finally settling in. </em>
</p><p>* * *</p><p>“So, this was your dad's, um...bunker?” Helena asked as she dropped her overnight bag onto the vinyl floor of the underground building, her eyes exploring the modest amenities.</p><p>“Yeah, dad was paranoid and a do-it-yourself kinda guy, but I'm glad I inherited it,” Leo confirmed as he enabled the various updated locking mechanisms that safe-guarded any inhabitants from the goings-on of the the surface dwellers. Helena turned to watch him as he worked at securing them inside, trying to ignore the butterfly-feeling in her stomach. It was amazing how a situation could feel so safe, and so dangerous, at the same time. It was true that she and Leo had never actually become romantically involved as her ex had vehemently accused her of, but she'd been crushing on him practically from the day she'd moved in next door to him. To be alone and isolated with him and free of the restraints of another relationship...she still couldn't decided whether this had been a good idea or not.</p><p>“Well don't just stand there,” Leo's voice brought Helena back down to reality, and she looked toward him as he began to cross the room, passing her with a grin as he strode toward the kitchen. “Get comfortable, relax, we're in for a long night.”</p><p>* * *</p><p>“<em>Come on, you can lay off the protein shakes for one night,” Helena chided as Leo eyed the greasy slice of pizza in his hand. Fuck, he missed pizza. </em></p><p>“<em>Is that really what you think I eat...drink for dinner,” he asked incredulously as he watched her walk toward the kitchen, opening the refrigerator door to extract a chilled brown bottle and a brightly colored can. “I thought you didn't drink,” he continued as she joined him again on the couch, pressing the bottle into his open hand. </em></p><p>“<em>I don't, it's not mine,” she answered with a smile as she popped open the can of sparkling water in her grasp. </em></p><p>
  <em>Leo looked ahead to the newly installed shelves they'd screwed into the opposite wall as he twisted off the cap from his beer and took a sip. “They look good,” he commented, admiring his handy work, but Helena just rolled her eyes beside him. </em>
</p><p>“<em>I could have installed them myself, I'm not incompetent.”</em></p><p>“<em>Yeah, but then they'd be all crooked and hey-!” he called out, surprised, as she punched his arm. “That almost...not even remotely hurt,” he finished as he noticed the annoyed look on her face, an uncontrollable grin forming across his. “You better watch it, young lady, bad girls get punished.”</em></p><p>“<em>I'm not that young,” she huffed as she gave him another shove, even lighter than her punch, daring him to retaliate.</em></p><p>“<em>I've got a little over two decades on you-”</em></p><p>“<em>Well that just makes you old-”</em></p><p>
  <em>Helena was on her back on the couch as soon as Leo had set down his beer on the table, his body hovering inches above hers, that obnoxious grin on his face that always made her feel so weak for him. “I said...bad girls get punished,” his words reduced to a whisper as he stared down at her. What the fuck am I doing, he thought, but he couldn't bring himself to look away...and she wasn't making the slightest attempt to push him away. If it weren't for the sudden sound of keys working to unlock the front door, signaling her boyfriend's arrival home...</em>
</p><p>* * *</p><p>“You're cheating! You're fucking cheating!” Leo hollered out as he watched his neighbor slide her game piece around the board after an especially favorable dice roll.</p><p>“How the fuck am I cheating?” she shot back, laughing as she spoke, dragging an array of colorful Monopoly money from her pile to purchase the most advantageous property on the board. “You've got all the unowned deeds <em>and</em> you're the banker, all I've got is lucky dice rolls.”</p><p>“Yeah, 'cause you can't be trusted with either-”</p><p>“I have never fucking cheated at this game...It's not my fault you <em>suck</em> at it,” she emphasized, and scrambled back across the vinyl floor as Leo launched himself across the board, tackling her smaller frame.</p><p>“You are fucking <em>asking</em> for it,” he grumbled as she twisted in his grasp so her back was facing his chest, trying to scramble away as she laughed. “Oh, no you damn don't,” he hissed as he wrapped his arm around her waist when she began to slide out from under him. “And I thought I told you before, bad girls get punished,” the last of his words were reduced to a whisper as she ceased to squirm beneath him.</p><p>“...I hope you don't expect me to call you 'Daddy',” she mumbled, and when he closed his eyes and scrunched up his face at the thought, she clawed her way out from underneath him, sliding away and rising up to a sitting position as she leaned back against the sofa, smiling triumphantly at him as he sat up.</p><p>“Fuck, I really hope you don't think I'm into that,” he groaned as he ran a hand through his raven-black hair, disheveled from their little skirmish.</p><p>“No...but it got me out from under you,” she smiled, still pleased with herself.</p><p>“You sure that isn't where you wanna be,” Leo asked, his tone quieter as he cast a look over at the mess of a Monopoly board. It wasn't as if he'd had a chance of winning, anyway. When he glanced back at the young woman across from him, he found her watching him, her expression unreadable. After a few seconds of eye contact, Helena looked away, taking a deep breath as she stood up from the floor just to sit back down on the couch behind her. Leo rose to his feet, his eyes steady on her as he spoke his thoughts aloud, “This was...fuck, this was a bad idea.” When she didn't respond, just took an unsteady breath as she looked away, he stepped forward, situating himself on the open space of the couch next to his neighbor. “I'm, uh...I may have let your boyfriend believe that you and I were hooking up behind his back,” he finally announced to the room, not daring to look at her now.</p><p>“You <em>may</em> have,” she repeated, her eyes shifting in his direction.</p><p>“He confronted me, and I didn't confirm it, but I didn't exactly deny it either. I may have led him to believe that I, uh...was giving you what he couldn't.” Leo finally tilted his head to glance in her direction, found her eyes watching him, waiting for him to continue. “I'm not sorry about what I did, but...it wasn't right for me to invite you out here right after, just the two of us, when I...”</p><p>“...When you what,” she pressed, hope starting to ease the achingly sick feeling in her stomach at the anticipation of his rejection.</p><p>“When I wanted you all to myself,” he finally answered.</p><p>A brief silence, then a soft “Wanted?”</p><p>“Want,” he whispered, his voice even raspier than usual as he reached a hand out toward hers and tugged her carefully toward him, sliding his legs up onto the couch as he guided her to crawl over him, not satisfied until she hovered inches above him, her auburn bangs falling into his carefully styled ink-black strands.</p><p>“I wish I'd met you first,” she confessed as she stared into his hazel eyes, reaching a hand up to slide her fingers through his thick crop of hair. Leo's eyes slid closed as he relaxed against the plush surface below him, content in the moment to enjoy the exploration of her hand as it swept slowly through his hair a few more times before grazing over the stubble of his jawline. When her movements stilled, Leo opened his eyes to stare up at her, a conflicted look on her face.</p><p>“Helena, what is it,” he whispered as he lifted a hand to grasp the smaller one that had explored his hair and face so carefully.</p><p>She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, felt his fingers brush into her hair as she had with his. “Leo, I...” she paused, felt him lean in to press a soft kiss against her cheek, the stubble tickling her soft skin. “...I really like you.”</p><p>“I know,” he answered, careful of his tone.</p><p>“I mean, I really-”</p><p>“Sweetheart, I know. We've been flirting with each other for nearly a year, I know...I'm not gonna hurt you.” He paused as he watched her face studiously, her eyes still closed to him. “Now get down here and fucking kiss me,” he finished, the corners of his lips forming a smile as she grinned and let a soft laugh escape, finally opening her eyes just to close them again as Leo's large hand reached behind her, into her hair, and guided her down to his lips.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for reading, the second half/chapter is going to be pretty much just solid smut, so...look forward to that? Kudos are great, comments are beneficial to my mental health! Gif belongs to @suricateg on tumblr. Title (Firewall) and lyrics belong to SH3RO (on Spotify)</p><p>PS, if you're a fan of Frank Grillo's other characters, I have also written some fics for his MCU character, Brock Rumlow/Crossbones, which can by found in my list of works 💙</p></blockquote></div></div>
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